Mutes, Semi-permanent and otherwise...

[TrevorOfDoom]

I've been looking to add a mute to my bass for some time now.
I play in many different bands, and I don't always have time between songs to stick a piece of foam under my bridge.
So I've wanted something semi-permanent.
The two methods I've seen most often are the Link Removed or the Jaguar mute, as seen on Sean Hurley's Fender Sig model.
The Jag mute would require me to route my bass, which I'm okay with as long as it works.
So here's the rub: I've spoken with owners of both devices, and both say that it can and does affect intonation.
That's not acceptable to me.
I had the GruvGear Fump very briefly, and couldn't stand how badly it messed up my intonation.

But there's the Nordstrand Audio NordyMute, which, as far as I've seen, doesn't throw off intonation.
It does this by providing grooves for the strings, so they aren't just muting by pressing up or down on the string with foam, but by also pinching slightly the strings. Which is brilliant.
But a NordyMute is still too time-consuming for my purposes.

So here's my idea, and i'd love it if a current owner of either the Jag mute or BassMute would try it out:
Cut grooves in the pads of either a Jag mute or BassMute.
The Jag mute pushes up on the strings, but if there were also slight grooves for the strings so that the mute worked in a similar fashion to the NordyMute, it might not affect intonation as much, if at all, right?
Same with the BassMute. Grooves would allow it to pinch the string instead of just pressing on it.
That way, either could theoretically be used in fast fashion, as they're designed, without having to retune whenever they're activated.
Well, that's my theory.

Are there any other solutions I'm overlooking?
Any comments on those ideas? Confirmations?

 

[MD]

I use packing foam from electronic gear. It's top loaded and stored behind the bridge when not needed.

 

[JakobT]

I made my own for use with my P-basses. Instead of using a sponge, I used thick wool felt, rolled to the right thickness and stuck together with velcro. It's much less fiddly to insert or remove than a sponge (you can easily do it one-handed in a second), comes in a range of colours to match your bass, messes minimally with intonation, and costs next to nothing. It gives a great, thumpy, Jamerson-like tone.

 

[lz4005]

Are there any other solutions I'm overlooking?
Any comments on those ideas? Confirmations?

Any time something is in contact with the string it changes intonation to some degree or another. It's just how physics works.

 

[GIBrat51]

MD and JakobT have good suggestions, but; lz4005 is right. It will change the intonation. The only thing you can control is - how much change you're willing to put up with. You could get one of these, I suppose; I use this one all the time. Very adjustable, too. I also use the one in the bridge cover on my '78 P- Bass. I imagine it's intonation is kinda wonky, but for what I play with it? Doesn't really matter much. Same for the Rick, too, but at least I can dial the mute up or down. I'd imagine the Jaguar mute would work much the same way. IMO, mutes are from a time when the bass line hardly ever got anywhere near the 12th fret; and on some basses, even the tuning was problematic. That's the kind of music I like to play, so I just use the mute, and don't worry about it. But, if intonation is important to you? Trying to use a mechanical mute is probably going to be a frustrating - and losing - battle...

 

[sunbeast]

Putting on a NordyMute takes barely longer than flipping the switch of a BassMute would, you literally just gotta put it over the strings and slide it back towards the bridge. I can’t imagine not having time between songs to do this. The BassMute would allow more precise pressure to be dialed in ahead of time, but of course at the expense of intonation. Because the NordyMute squeezes equally from both sides it isn’t changing the string tension the way a standard mute does. Pretty clever design!

 

[sunbeast]

View attachment 3349985 MD and JakobT have good suggestions, but; lz4005 is right. It will change the intonation. The only thing you can control is - how much change you're willing to put up with. You could get one of these, I suppose; I use this one all the time. Very adjustable, too. I also use the one in the bridge cover on my '78 P- Bass. I imagine it's intonation is kinda wonky, but for what I play with it? Doesn't really matter much. Same for the Rick, too, but at least I can dial the mute up or down. I'd imagine the Jaguar mute would work much the same way. IMO, mutes are from a time when the bass line hardly ever got anywhere near the 12th fret; and on some basses, even the tuning was problematic. That's the kind of music I like to play, so I just use the mute, and don't worry about it. But, if intonation is important to you? Trying to use a mechanical mute is probably going to be a frustrating - and losing - battle...

Any time something is in contact with the string it changes intonation to some degree or another. It's just how physics works.

Have you all tried a NordyMute? The difference on intonation if you use the correct mute for your bass is minimal (ie- slots cut at correct string-spacing). I’ve tried lots of other options and nothing else compares from an intonation perspective. It does this by applying equal pressure on both sides of the string (pinching rather than pushing as other mute designs do). IMO the Ric mute is basically worthless as an adjustable mechanism (the mute pad can’t be bent to match the correct radius of the neck so the balance between strings is inherently way off, and if you do get it set right good luck finding that spot again after disengaging it!)

 

[BassGreaser]

Playing a Gibson SG bass with a three point bridge I’ve found using a small piece of cloth folded a couple times and slid into position works best for me. (In this case I actually use a pocket square made of wool)